"Being a foreigner, Rafa doesn't understand it's supposed to be Premier League first and Champions League second," was the opinion of the Newcastle United manager, whose currently stuttering side are at home to Liverpool this lunchtime. "Only Europe has saved his skin. Rafa would be very lucky to be in a job if he had not got to two Champions League finals."

Putting this mini outburst in context last week, Allardyce explained he was merely "having a little bit of a pop back" at Benítez's repeated criticisms of Bolton Wanderers during his time in charge at The Reebok.

Asked to describe his relationship with the Spaniard, Newcastle's manager replied: "Average, a bad average, he doesn't like me. That's because we beat them - and Bolton were not supposed to beat a team like Liverpool."

During three Premier League games at The Reebok Benítez's side lost 1-0, drew 2-2 and lost 2-0. That last defeat, in September 2006, provoked considerable consternation and Liverpool's manager launched an impassioned post-match deconstruction of Bolton's working methods.

"We played a different game with different rules, apparently," reflected Newcastle's manager, whose enduring faith in a sometimes ugly percentage game has largely failed to inspire Tyneside fans, many of whom remain wedded to a purist philosophy.

"Rafa criticised Bolton's style, saying it was outside the rules. I didn't see any referee's report saying that, so it was just a bit of self-protection on his part," said Allardyce.

"Rafa is pretty strong-willed but, when you get criticised heavily by one of your fellow managers, you have to take it in the right spirit and I found it a great compliment. I'd just beaten his team and I used his criticism as a big positive; I'd rather he was moaning and groaning about the way I'd beaten them rather than us losing and him saying how attractively we'd played."

Not that Allardyce envisages this rivalry and mutual resentment ruling out the possibility of a post-match drink today. "I don't see why I won't be inviting Rafa in for a glass of wine," he said. "I went in for a glass when Liverpool beat Bolton there last season (2-0 at Anfield on New Year's Day). He had spoken about me in the papers the day before but I was big enough to walk in and test how good his red wine is."

Perhaps surprisingly the ensuing conversation was not overly awkward. "It was about the pressure of the Christmas period and we agreed we should have a break in January," recalled Allardyce, who also shares the Benítez view on the vexed subject of player rotation.

"Rotation is the way forward," maintained Newcastle's manager, whose side are facing their first league meeting with a member of England's "big four" this season. "You can't ask players to play 60 games a season. Without his rotation policy Rafa wouldn't have won the European Cup."

With nagging geordie doubts about Allardyce's suitability for St James' Park having surfaced in earnest after the recent 4-1 home defeat by Portsmouth, he could certainly do with a victory against Liverpool in the the first of a tricky trio of games, subsequently involving a trip to face Blackburn Rovers and a home date with Arsenal.

Assorted injuries, most notably afflicting Michael Owen, Steven Taylor and Abdoulaye Faye, dictate that Allardyce does not have much scope for squad-spinning of his own but he hinted that his game plan might annoy Benítez again. Though he has only one fit specialist central defender in David Rozehnal, at least he has cover in attack, where last season's top scorer Obafemi Martins is likely to partner Mark Viduka.

Refreshed by a short holiday in Dubai during the international break, a recently stressed Newcastle manager seems cautiously optimistic. "I've managed a couple of wins against Liverpool in the last couple of years with Bolton," he said. "So, if we get it right tactically and do what we need to do, we have a chance."